Since You Came
by Honorary Viral
Summary: Fang thought he had it pretty good. Good grades, good friends, good band, even a girlfriend. That is, until he wakes to the reality of a car accident and a coma. Now he doesn't even know who he is. When you've been dreaming your own world for so long, how do you face reality?
1. Chapter 1

**'Ello! Here's my latest and greatest (well, maybe _not_ greatest) fanfic! It's gonna have a lot of twists and stuff, because it's based off songs by The Vamps (I'm obsessed. What can I say?). So yeah, here's the first chapter! Can't guarantee how often it'll be updated, but no longer than a month (I know, that sounds terrible, but give it a chance, okay?)**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

I walked into the school building, trying to make out my friends. Generally, they were where the loud noises came from. Every year on the first day of school, we met up at eight. I started the countdown. Five, four, three, two, one-

"NICK!" Nudge shrieked, running towards me. I held out my arms to avoid being completely squashed, and let her hug me.

"Hey, Nudge."

"Sup man," Iggy held out a fist, and I bumped it. The rest of the gang headed over.

"Woah, Angel, you've got taller," I observed, taking in her new height. She was nearly as tall as me. She grinned.

"Better watch out, Fangster. One day soon, I'm gonna overtake you," she said, waggling a finger at me. I mock-scowled at her.

"Never!" Then I noticed something. "My, my. Ange, are you taller than _Gazzy_ now?" She smirked triumphantly, while Gazzy wilted slightly.

"Jeez Gaz. You're the shortest one out of all of us now," Iggy noted. Gazzy glared at his best friend. Well, he did have a right. Saying Gazzy was short was like saying...I dunno. I didn't actually have a thing for here. But Gaz was five twelve, and that's not exactly short for a sixteen year old.

"Shut up. You can't talk either, you're unnaturally tall," he pointed out. Iggy shrugged. He was well over six foot, and only seventeen. I was around the six foot-ish mark, so not as much a freak of nature as Iggy.

"I could play basketball."

"But you don't."

"But I _could_ , is what I'm saying."

"Guys, shut up. There's a newbie," Nudge whispered conspiratorially. We all craned our necks. The rest of the school was starting to trickle in through the gates, and newbies were a big deal at our school. Dunno why. I guess we hope they're gonna bring some kind of excitement.

"Ooh, I see her too!" Angel exclaimed. Iggy stared over everyone's heads, and nodded.

"The blonde chick?" He checked. Nudge and Angel nodded.

"Looks like she might mix things up," he commented. Apparently Gazzy saw her then, too.

"Maybe we can get her to help us with our pranks," he suggested. They then started spurting ideas, but I didn't pay any attention to that. I tried to pick out the girl, but the crowd was getting bigger. I gave up, and dropped back to my heels.

"I guess I'll see her in class," I said dejectedly. Angel clapped my shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll notice her soon enough. You've got chem first, right?" I groaned.

"Ugh, don't remind me. Apparently there's a pop quiz on what we learnt two years ago. I don't even know what I had for dinner last night."

"Toughy. Good thing I'm not in your class!" She said brightly, before heading over to Nudge. I turned to Iggy, since he had the class with me.

"You ready?" I asked him.

"Hell no. Let's go." Those four words didn't really make sense, but hey, that's Iggy. I followed him into the building, and dropped my books on the desk once we reached the classroom.

"I really hope Lissa's in this class," I muttered. Lissa had been my crush since I started here. She was friendly, open, pretty much my exact opposite. But you know what they say, opposites attract.

"If you get Lissa, then I've gotta have Tess," Iggy replied, drumming his fingers on his desk next to mine. I recognized the tune, and had to restrain myself from crushing his fingers. It was some One Direction thing, dunno the name. Why he likes them, I don't know. Anyway, Tess was his long-time crush. She was freakishly tall as well, like, MY height. Sure, Iggy still made her look short, but she was probably the tallest girl I've ever met.

"'Ello, boys," Tess dropped into the seat behind us. We both turned, and I saw Iggy send me a triumphant smirk. I scowled at him.

"Hey, Tess. How was your break?" While they were talking about the holidays, I turned back to the front. And immediately spun back around, yanking on Iggy's sleeve.

"What?" He asked, annoyed I was interrupting his Tess time. I discretely (I hoped) pointed to the girl at the front of the room. "That the new girl?" Tess leaned forward, joining our secret conspiracy circle.

"I heard her name's Max. Apparently got expelled from her old school. Don't know for sure, since I haven't talked to her yet, so don't quote me on that." I looked back toward the front curiously, and examined her. No, not in a creepy way. Just, you know, to see what she looked like.

She was pretty, I'll give her that. She had blonde, kinda streaked hair, with brown eyes and freckles. She was wearing a tattered looking denim jacket, a black AC/DC top, and black jeans. A black wrist band was dangling on her arm. She looked dangerous. Maybe Iggy was right, and something might actually _happen_ at this dumb school.

"She looks...interesting," I said. The others nodded.

"Well class, welcome to another fun year of chemistry," Mrs Mealy drawled. Groans resounded through the classroom. I faced the front.

"Max, introduce yourself, please," she said crisply. Max raised an eyebrow.

"I think you just did it for me," she replied, fake sincere. I snickered along with the rest of the class.

"Do you want a detention on your first day, Miss Ride?" Max shrugged.

"I got one in the first minute at my old school, so it's kinda overused. But go ahead, it's your class," she added, talking slowly for maximum pissing off factor.

"How about I give you _ten_? Is that up to your standards?" Mrs Mealy droned. Max shrugged again.

"I mean, I'll probably skip 'em anyway, so go ahead." Mealy got a crafty look on her face.

"Your file says that you like your sports, hmm?"

"Well, yeah. At my old school I was on the track team, and the swim team too. Plus I do boxing." That was probably the first non-sarcastic thing she'd said yet.

"Would you pay attention if I banned you from entering the sports teams?" Max froze.

"Yes, ma'am," she replied stiffly, and took her seat. It was right in front of me. I inwardly groaned. If Lissa was late (she probably wasn't, but a guy can dream, right?), then she wouldn't be sitting anywhere near me. Apparently, though, my groan was a little louder than planned. Max swivelled in her seat.

"You got a problem?" She asked. I shook my head, and felt Iggy trying not to laugh beside me. He leaned forward.

"Sorry 'bout him. You sitting there means his true love can't." I elbowed him. "Hey! It's true."

"You're only teasing me because Te-" Iggy slapped his hand over my mouth.

"We do not mention that in premises where _certain people_ can hear," he told me. I licked his hand. It flinched slightly, but didn't move. So, I bit it.

"Ow! What the hell?" He exclaimed, shaking his hand. "You don't just go around _biting_ people. Man, your teeth are sharp."

"They're not," I argued. He just stared at me.

"Do you sharpen them? Are you a vampire?" He persisted, peering at my teeth.

"No. I'm-"

"You're not pale enough. But jeez, dude, you have _fangs_." I was so caught up in our banter, I didn't realize Max was still watching us. I waved awkwardly at her, and put my head in between my fists.

"So, Max, yeah?" She snorted.

"Yeah. You're, what, Tooth?" I cracked a smile.

"Tooth? Nah, that's like the tooth fairy in that movie. Call me Fang," I said. Fang. Why the hell did I say _that_?

"Well, see you round, Fang," Max smirked, and turned back to the front, pretending to listen. I saw the earphone trailing down her neck, though, and wasn't fooled.

"So, _Fang_ ," Iggy drawled. I scowled at him.

"Oh, shut up."

I walked into the cafeteria, Angel at my side. She pointed to our usual table.

"Yo, newbie alert. Yay or nay?" Max was slouched in my usual seat. Which I was _very_ protective of. My eyebrows lifted.

"No one steals _my_ seat and gets away with it," I said, before striding towards her table. But did I get there un-interrupted? No. Brigid Dwyer met me halfway.

Now, don't get me wrong, Brigid's not bad. She's just...clingy. And I'm pretty sure she has a crush on me. Not to toot my own horn or anything.

"Hey Nick. How was English?" How she knows what subject I just had, I don't know, and I don't really want to know, either.

"Um, it was good. As good as English can be," I replied, trying to sidestep her. She met my dodges, sadly.

"Cool. Do you have basketball after school?"

"Uh, no. I quit the team two years ago." If she knew my timetable, shouldn't she know I wasn't in the team anymore?

"So, are you doing anything now?" She asked casually.

"Yeah. Walking to my table," I said pointedly, taking another step forward.

"Would you mind if I came?"

"I mean, there's only six chairs, and my five friends are sitting with me, so..."

"Great! Let's go!" She latched onto my arm, and started pulling me over to the table where Max was sitting. I looked over my shoulder, and saw Angel laughing. I also saw Lissa watching me. Crap.

"Hey. Mind if we sit?" Brigid asked Max, flashing a smile. She looked up from her phone.

"Eh, whatever. Go ahead." We sat, and Angel took the seat next to me.

"Do you think we can borrow a seat?" I asked her. She glanced around the room.

"Dunno. Gazzy can stand, since he'd be closer to the table," she answered. I snickered. Brigid leaned forward.

"What's the joke? Anything funny?" No, I was laughing because my cat died. I sent a glance to Angel which hopefully projected my thoughts. She snorted.

"You could say that."

"Yo, peoples! What's up?" Iggy announced, sitting down next to Nudge. Gazzy sat next to him.

"Wait. What are they doing here?" Gazzy pointed to Max and Brigid.

"Nick invited me," Brigid gushed. When she looked away from me, I gave everyone else a what the hell look. They grinned. Gazzy turned to Max.

"There was an empty table, and I took it," she said briefly. He nodded.

"Fair enough." Max then looked to me.

"Nick?"

"Um, yeah. That's my name. Nick." Iggy snickered.

"Smooth, man."

"Yes it was. Now, I believe there was a development in the Teggy-"

"Do you need to be reminded of the Nissa plan? Or maybe Lick. Or should I say Fassa? Isn't that a great-"

"Do you need a repeat of what happened in chemistry?" I asked purposefully. Everyone's eyes were whipping back and forth between us.

"Hey, I'm good. But don't you think the air is a little... _Frigid_? It sure is a _Bang_ up day. I sure hope no one throws a _Brick_ in it," Iggy sang slyly. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Isn't _Bang_ an interesting word? So many meanings..." At my warning look, he turned to Nudge. "Um, why don't you talk for a bit, before he kills me?"

"You guys suck at being subtle." Everyone looked up at Max, who was staring calmly at me and Iggy. "Personally, I like Bang better. Double meaning, you know?"

"Um, is anyone else completely lost?" Gazzy asked, raising a timid hand.

"You're not the only one," Nudge replied.

"And me," Brigid added.

"Don't worry about it," I said, picking up my sandwich.

"Well, did you hear the soccer try outs are today? You'll have to wait til tomorrow for the big welcome back prank," Gazzy said ruefully. Iggy nodded.

"I'm gonna make the A team this year. I know it."

"In your dreams," Nudge grinned.

"Hey! I'll have you know I'm actually good," Iggy retorted.

"'I'm actually good!'" She mocked, an earnest expression on her face. I chuckled. "You sound so sure of yourself."

"Well, you can come to the trials after school, then. See how good I am for yourself," Iggy offered.

"Maybe I will. I'm gonna be cheering for you with the squad, so I may as well be supporting a team that'll WIN."

"Relax. We're gonna smash everyone," Gazzy reassured her. Angel raised her eyebrows.

"And who said you're gonna make the A team?" She challenged.

"Please, I got it in the bag. I'm better than Ig here, and he's pretty damn good," he argued.

"Wow, modest," Angel observed dryly. He opened his mouth to retort. I looked over at Max.

"Doing all right there?"

"Just dandy."

"I've gotta go, but I'll see you later," Brigid excused herself, and left the cafeteria. I did a fist pump when she was out of sight.

"Wow, Nick, way to show your appreciation," Angel drawled.

"Is she going to be sitting with us from now on? Because while I think Brick is cute, it's just not the same as Nissa," Nudge asked, starting one of her rants. I thought she'd been quiet so far. I looked at her in horror.

"Brick? Is that a genuine thing?" Everyone except Max and Iggy nodded.

"Well, I thought Bang was pretty good," Max commented.

"How's that work?" Gazzy asked curiously.

"F-nick introduced himself to me as Fang. Brigid plus Fang equals Bang," she explained, a smirk gracing her features.

"So, Fnick, what d'you think about that?" Iggy taunted. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, _Figgy_ , I think it's crap," I answered smartly.

"Oh my gods," Nudge whispered knowingly. "Fang, Iggy, I didn't know!" Angel nodded, smirking.

"Maybe this was their way of coming out," she said.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, you're Fang, and he's Iggy, obviously. So, Figgy is Fang plus Iggy..." Nudge trailed off. It took me a second to get it.

"What the heck?" Iggy exclaimed, glancing at me in horror. "Look what you started!"

"Me? You called me Fnick, so what did you _think_ I was gonna do?"

"I dunno, not call me _Figgy_!"

"Okay, we understand. You're in love. Stop flirting and let the rest of us talk, capiche?" Max interrupted. We both gaped at her, and she put both hands on the table. "So. Do you have a track team here? Swim team?"

"No to the track, yes to the swimming. Try outs are probably Wednesday," I answered.

"Cool. And...is there a boxing club around here?"

"Yeah, there is, and it's supposed to be pretty good," Gazzy replied.

"Awesome. See you guys later," she said, before gathering her stuff and heading out of the cafeteria. We all exchanged glances.

"She seems cool," Angel said.

"And maybe we can go shopping, and get makeovers, and it'll be fun!" Nudge exclaimed. I glanced at her.

"Oh, dear lord. I pity the poor girl," Gazzy sympathized. Nudge glared at him.

"I hope the bell goes soon. This could get serious," I whispered to Angel and Iggy. They nodded solemnly.

"RIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG!"

"Well, there you go. No one's gonna be murdered today," Iggy said cheerfully. Gazzy shot him a look.

"You wait 'til soccer trials. If you're still alive by the end of it, I'll eat my explosives."

"You're on."

 **Yo, if you're confused about anything, just drop me a review or PM and I'll reply within a day, because I have nothing better to do with my life.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

 **Okay. I'm probably gonna be hated by the end of this chapter, so try not to give up on this, okay? Don't worry, I got it all planned out (well...okay, maybe not really, but still! I got an idea).**

 **Enjoy! (Even if some of it makes you cringe)**

"So, you got the song list for tonights gig ready?" Iggy asked at lunch the next day. I stared at him.

"Um, what?" He rolled his eyes.

"You know, we have a gig tonight. At the new café. You were meant to be making the song list," he explained. I put my hands on either side of my face.

"Crap, that's today?" I exclaimed. The others sighed in exasperation.

"I saw this coming, so I prepared one," Nudge said, taking out a piece of paper. She looked up at all our groans.

"You've only put your music on it, haven't you?" Gazzy accused. She raised her eyebrows and handed it to him.

"Go ahead. Tell me if you don't like it." Gazzy began reading with a sceptical expression. His features changed into a look of surprise.

"It's got One Direction, Green Day, All Time Low, and...The Vamps. That's pretty fair, I guess," he said, handing the paper back to Nudge.

"I'm surprised," Angel commented.

"What? I've been doing my homework," Nudge replied defensively.

"Sure. So, this all good with everyone? We all know how to play everything?" Angel checked. I skimmed over the list, and nodded.

"One of these I don't really wanna sing, but otherwise yeah. Who's playing what?" I asked. Gazzy raised his hand.

"Bass."

"Drums. I mean, I can't play anything else," Iggy said.

"I know about you guys. I'm talking to Angel and Nudge. Are you doing acoustic or keyboard?" I asked Angel.

"I'll take guitar. Nudge, you all good with keyboard and back-up?"

"Yeah. But anyway, I think we should have matching outfits-"

"I'm outta here. I mean, uh, I gotta go...check my locker. For...mice," Iggy said awkwardly, standing up. Nudge yanked his sleeve, and he sat back down.

"That, James Griffiths, is the _worst_ excuse I have _ever_ heard," she stated. Gazzy piped up.

"I would of gone with pee, but checking your locker for mice works too," he said agreeably. Iggy scowled at him.

"Well-"

"So, I say we have a colour theme. I'm voting for black, purple-"

"I am _not_ wearing purple," I interrupted. Nudge scowled at me.

"Don't interrupt. You can be your emo self and wear black, don't worry. Black, purple and gold. What say y'all?"

"'What say y'all'?" Gazzy asked.

"Yes. Now, are we agreed?" Everyone grudgingly nodded. When it came to Nudge, there was no arguing.

"Can it be blue instead of gold?" Iggy questioned. He looked defensive at all our stares. "What? Gold isn't my colour." We kept staring. "When I try leave, you bring me back, and think I'm insane when I say stuff. Come on, guys. Get firewise!"

"What," Angel began.

"The actual," Gazzy continued.

"Freaking fijata frijoles?" They finished in sync. Sometimes I forgot they were siblings.

"I dunno, it just came to my head. So, blue and black?" Iggy checked.

"And purple," Nudge said.

"Blue and black it is."

I stood on the stage, setting my microphone to the right height.

"Yo, testing!" I yelled. The mic made a loud scratching noise, making everyone jump. Everyone in the café turned to us.

"Well. At least we know it works," I said dryly. Iggy looked over at me from his drum kit.

"No one'll care if it _works_ if they're all _deaf_."

"True, true."

"Okay, hi guys! We're gonna be doing, what, five songs? So, hope you enjoy, if you don't, then at least buy something before you leave," Angel announced. Gazzy strummed a chord.

"First up we have a song by The Vamps, so hope you like it," I spoke into the mic. I nodded at Iggy, and he started drumming.

"Pretty face, I wanna tell you something  
But I'll just wait while you keep me hanging  
On and on and on  
Your every word," I sang. Halfway through, I noticed someone in the audience. Well, two someones, actually. Lissa was sitting with one of her friends at a table near the front. I grinned and winked at her. She smiled back. Then at the back, clad in leather jacket and combat boots, was Max. She was watching with raised eyebrows. I raised a hand in a wave. She lifted her own hand in response.

"Oh how I wish that you would say, you feel the same way," I finished. Half the audience clapped. I looked over to Iggy, and saw him silently pleading.

"Do you want to sing this next song, Igster?" He shook his head. "Nudge? Angel?" They both shook their heads.

"You're the only one with the right voice, Nick," Angel said, smirking. I scowled at her.

"Okay. Here's Drag Me Down," I said through gritted teeth. After the next three songs, I breathed a sigh of relief, and leapt off the stage. I ordered a coffee and sat down.

"You know caffeine really isn't good for sore throats?" I looked up, and saw Max standing over me.

"What do you suggest I drink then?" I asked lazily.

"Oh, I dunno, water maybe?"

"Coffee has water in it," I pointed out. She shrugged.

"Eh, your throat." She sat down in the seat opposite mine. "Nice performance, by the way."

"Thanks. I hated the One Direction song, though."

"You made it sound pretty good," Max replied.

"Good. So what brings you to this humble café?" I asked conversationally.

"Food's s'posed to be good. So's the music," she answered slyly.

"And what did you think?" I leaned forward on my elbows slightly.

"Not bad." She glanced up over my shoulder briefly, then whispered conspiratorially. "Hey, I think your girlfriend's getting a bit annoyed at me. I gotta go. See ya round." She stood up, and left the café. I stared after her, then turned my head over my shoulder. Lissa was standing there, her friend nowhere to be seen.

"How's my favourite singer?" She asked, slipping into the now empty seat.

"Oh, you know. The usual screaming fans at my feet," I gestured to the very quiet café.

"Ah, of course." She leaned forward. "So, hitting on the new girl, eh?" She'd said it casually enough, but I was certain (okay, I _hoped_ ) that she was a teeny bit jealous.

"What? No. Just welcoming her to the neighbourhood," I assured her.

"Good job. You were really awesome up there," she praised, squeezing my arm. I smiled.

"You saying I'm not really awesome normally?" I questioned in mock offense.

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Walker," she teased.

"How rude, Lissa. I thought we had something here," I put my hand on my heart, and she laughed.

"Whatever, Nick. Did you get any homework in chem yesterday? I'm in your class, but I had a dentist appointment." Lissa was in my chem class. Suddenly my day was feeling a whole lot better.

"Ugh. I can't be stuffed doing this dumb...what even is it? Pig conferencing?" Iggy moaned. I looked at him.

" _Grid referencing_. We learnt this ages ago. Why the hell do we need to learn it now?" I asked him.

"Cause the teacher thinks we're idiots. I mean, most of the class is, but still..."

"Maybe this is to make up for that last class when we freaked out that reliever," I pondered. Iggy nodded thoughtfully.

"Are you guys understanding this whole x=a minus b squared stuff?" Lissa asked, leaning over our desks to look at our worksheets. "Since you're finding it so easy?"

"Wait, you're doing algebra stuff? Then why..." I exchanged a glance with Iggy. "The freaking substitute. That _bi_ -"

"Now, now, Fangy poo, we do not use that type of language in this class," Iggy mocked. I stared at him.

" _Fangy poo_? Where the _heck_ did you pull _heck_ from?" I exclaimed. He shrugged.

"Dunno. Must just be my superior intellect and brain power," he deadpanned.

"Sure, Igs, sure. But the day your intellect is better than mine is the day pigs fly," I snorted. Iggy did that whole two fingers to your eyes thing. You know, the I'm watching you gesture. Why didn't I call it that the first time?

"You just wait, cause pigs are gonna start falling on your head any day now." I glanced at Lissa, who was still listening to our conversation amusedly. Then we burst out laughing.

"Ig, I said when pigs _fly_ , not when they start raining from the sky," I told him. He flapped a hand. I smirked, and Lissa spoke up.

"Hey, Nick, can you help me study in the library after school? I have no clue where to start with the English essay." I nodded.

"Yeah, sure. Good thing you're not asking doofus, here. I'm not sure his brain could handle that much work," I joked. Iggy pouted.

"Hey! I'll have you know that my brain is already fried from having to do this dumb sheet!"

"What kind of argument is that?" I asked.

"A good one," he retorted. I nodded exaggeratedly.

"Right. Sure, Ig."

In the library, I perched on the end of my chair. Lissa wasn't here yet, but I did get out of class ten minutes early, so that made sense. I leaned back in my chair, and flicked through my iPod. I didn't feel like listening to anything I had, so I pulled up YouTube and took a deep breath.

"Nudge has finally corrupted me," I sighed, and typed in 'the vamps boy without a car'. I know I sang it the other day, but when you're singing sometimes, you forget what you're singing and you go on autopilot. I'd also kinda forgotten it, and I didn't normally go around listening to The Vamps. I tapped the first video, and stuck my earphones in.

And I'm wondering how we got this far  
I'm just another boy without a car  
Oh how I wish that you could say  
You feel the same way

I tapped my foot along with the beat. A few minutes later, I felt someone take one of my earphones out. Lissa was listening curiously to my song.

"You sang this yesterday, right?" I nodded. She looked me right in the eyes. "I think you sang it better."

"Thanks. So, English essay, right?" I thought I saw a flash of something in her eyes, but didn't know what.

"Yep. Great Expectations. How the relation between two side characters affected the story," she said dramatically.

"Can't you just do Pip and Estella or something?" I asked her. she shook her head.

"Not if you want extra credit. Which I need, because I want to major in a writing course next year." Huh. Didn't know that.

"What about...maybe you could use Orlick. He pretty much hates everyone. And...how about Pip's sister? Dunno her name, but since Orlick injured her, it caused all that kinda minor stuff, but it could be linked to the big picture. Or Magwitch and the lawyer dude. They have history, right?" Lissa rolled her eyes.

"The lawyer dude, Nick?"

"Yep. But seriously, though." We spent the next hour piecing together her essay. It was actually pretty fun, though. Once we were nearly done, she turned to me.

"Thanks for your help, Nick. The library closes in like ten minutes, so we should probably pack up," she said sincerely. I looked at her.

"No problem. It was pretty fun, so it wasn't like being in actual class explaining stuff to Iggy," I cracked. She laughed.

"I can imagine." We sat in silence for a few minutes, just staring at each other.

"So..."

"Um, Nick. There's something I've been meaning to tell you, but..." Lissa trailed off.

"But?" I asked. She fidgeted in her seat.

"I don't know how...or if I should...you know what? I just-nevermind!" She stuttered in a rush.

"Lissa. You can tell me, whatever it is," I told her. She took a breath, and nodded.

"Sorry. I'm just...stressed."

"It's okay. Let's go, the librarian doesn't look too happy," I pointed to the short man, who was scowling at us. I turned around, and imitated his glare. Lissa laughed at me.

"I'm not going to tell you what I was going to say."

"Really? Because now I'm awfully curious," I replied, arching my eyebrows.

"I'm going to show you." Then she surprised me so much, I think she nearly gave me a heart attack. She leaned forward and kissed me. After two seconds, she pulled away, and gave me a brief smile.

"I gotta go," she said, and strode past me toward the exit. I just stood there, staring at the space she'd previously been in, a stupid grin on my face.

 **So, that's it. Thoughts?**

 **Also, Lissa's always portrayed as a slut in fanfics I've read, but in the actual book, she's pretty nice, if not real perky. So I'm writing her as nice. Besides, I've got something sorted for her. And no worries, Max'll be in the next chapter more.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

 **Yo, peeps. I have recently become obsessed with math puns, so you lucky people get to take the brunt of it. I got nothing else, so here goes.**

 **Enjoy!**

"You seem happy," Tess commented in chem. I grinned back at her.

"Woah, he smiles! The world is ending!" Iggy proclaimed dramatically. I punched his shoulder.

"Shut up. But, um, yeah. Something-" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lissa enter the room. "-happened." Iggy and Tess followed my gaze, and Iggy wiggled his eyebrows.

"Hey, Nick," she said casually.

"Hey Lissa," I replied exaggeratedly.

"Hey Iggy," Iggy chimed in. We all looked at him. "What? None of you were gonna say hi to me."

"I said hi to you ten minutes ago, Ig," I reminded him.

"Whatever. So, Lissa, anything... _exciting_...happen yesterday?" Iggy asked suggestively. She raised her eyebrows.

"What on earth are you on about, Iggy?" She said. Everyone was sounding really...implicative (see that epic vocab skill!) today. It was seriously weird.

"Oh, nothing," he replied, before turning back to Tess with a so-that's-how-they're-playing-it expression on his face. I saw Lissa wink at me, though, and I winked back. Iggy asked Tess something I couldn't hear, and she nodded.

"Five days," she whispered.

"Really? That's so _slow_ ," Iggy answered.

"That's what I'm going with," she replied, shrugging.

"One day. Whoever's closest, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"What are they on about now?" I asked Lissa. She shook her head.

"No idea. Probably when Iggy's gonna do his next prank or something."

"I can't believe she's making us do symmetry. Does she want us to fail?" Iggy moaned.

"Probably," I replied truthfully. He shrugged.

"Hey, at least I can do this," he began, then smirked. "Where are mathematicians buried?"

"Oh, lord," I groaned, rubbing my face with my palms.

"The _symmetry_ ," he finished. Tess and Lissa giggled. "See, Fangy, if you wanna impress the girls, you gotta know good maths puns."

"Aw, you shouldn't be so mean, Ig," I teased. "Be _median_ or _mode_ instead." Iggy stared at me.

"Dude, that was terrible. You have such a bad _range_ of jokes," he grinned. I raised my eyebrows.

"Going off _tangent_ , are we?"

"That, Walker, is a _sine_ of a major _problem_ ," Iggy declared.

"Great, I'll just _add_ that to the list," I fired back.

"You're looking at it from the wrong _angle_ , man."

"To a certain _degree_ , you're pretty good at this," I said, but I was running out. Please say Iggy didn't have another one...

" _Sum_ people just don't have my skill," he replied triumphantly, raising his hands. I sighed dramatically. Iggy patted my shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. No one else can match my skill either." I stared at him.

"Right. Your skill. I'll just go and sulk in the bathroom," I deadpanned, slowly standing up.

"Wait, Fangy, don't leave me!" Iggy wailed. I rolled my eyes, and asked the teacher if I could go piss. Well, I phrased it nicer than that, but whatever. You get the point, yeah?

I didn't actually need to go, so I wandered aimlessly around the hallways for a bit.

"Skipping class, eh?" I jumped, and spun around. Who the hell was sneaking up on me? I was the one who did the sneaking-upping, not some rookie amateur.

"And you're not?" I retorted, raising my eyebrows at Max. She shrugged a shoulder, and flapped a lazy hand.

"I don't see myself as a history buff in twenty years time. Call me crazy."

"You're crazy. Who doesn't want to be a history buff when they grow up? It's the ultimate job," I replied.

"What're you wimping out on? Maths?" I stared at her.

"How'd you know that?" I asked her. A grin curved one side of her mouth.

"Call it intuition. So, why're you out here?"

"I...don't know, actually. I should probably get back, before they think I'm constipated," I mused.

"They might just think you hate maths," Max said, shrugging. "Or that you have diarrhea." She turned back to her locker. I took a step back toward the classroom, then stopped.

"Hey," I said. Max glanced over her shoulder. "We've, uh, got another gig this Saturday. Same place. If you wanna come, well, um...yeah, come. If you want," I added quickly. She gave me an amused grin.

"Maybe, Fang. Maybe."

"Something's happened to Nick," Angel announced loudly. Nudge, Iggy, Gazzy and Max (who was sitting with us again. She kinda just went wherever) looked at her. Max had a knowing smirk on her face.

"I know that. He was being all weird in maths, thinking he could beat me in a pun-off," Iggy scoffed arrogantly. I raised my eyebrows at him, but didn't say anything.

"Oh, sure. _Now_ you want to be quiet," Nudge grumbled.

"Well, there _is_ a reason I'm happy, but you're not finding out," I said stubbornly, crossing my arms. Iggy's face suddenly lit up.

"Hey! You started acting weird today, and yesterday you and-" I reached over and slapped my hand over his mouth, glaring at him.

"Yesterday you and _who_ did _what_?" Nudge pushed. I shook my head, and cautiously peeled my hand away from Iggy's mouth.

"Right. So-" I felt a tap on my shoulder, and looked back.

"Oh, hey Lissa," I said. She nodded.

"Hey, can I talk to you? Just over there's good," she added, pointing to an empty space about three metres away from our table.

"Sure," I replied, and walked the distance. "What's up?" She wrung her hands together.

"Okay. So. About the library thing yesterday, I just wanted to know, uh...this is really not my thing-"

"Lissa," I said, taking a step towards her. She looked up at me.

"We can make this really awkward, or..." I trailed off, and mentally psyched myself up. This was going to be the boldest thing I'd ever done in my entire life. I leaned down and kissed her. Right there, in front of the whole cafeteria. Conversation ceased, and everything went silent. Jeez, guys, way to make this awkward. When we pulled apart, every single freaking student was staring. I glanced nervously at Lissa, who was staring right back at me. Suddenly, everyone (well, mostly everyone. I mean, not the damn 'Bang' shippers) was cheering. We both walked back over to my table.

"Fi-na-leee," Iggy sung. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"You can't really talk, Ig, since Teggy still isn't a thing," I pointed out.

"Pfft. I'm just takin' it slow. Slow and steady wins the race, right?" He argued.

"Sure Ig. Sure." He snapped his fingers.

"I just won ten bucks! Thanks Fangy poo!" He exclaimed, and ran over to where Tess was sitting. I watched as she grudgingly handed him a ten dollar note. He swaggered back over, grinning widely.

"You made a _bet_?!" I asked incredulously. He nodded unashamedly. I heard Nudge and Gazzy whispering, and turned to see them handing money to Angel, who was smiling. "You guys had bets _too_?"

"'Course we did. Easy money," Angel replied, pocketing her winnings.

"Unbelievable," I muttered.

"If it helps, I wasn't here long enough to bet," Max put in. I cut her a look.

"Oh, it truly does help. _So much_ ," I deadpanned. She grinned.

"I'm glad. Besides, these guys aren't the only ones with bets," she pointed to various other tables around the cafeteria, who were, sure enough, exchanging money. I felt my eyes widen.

"What the hell is wrong with people?" I asked.

"Everything, Fangy, everything," Iggy said, patting my shoulder.

"Right," I muttered.

"Pull me up from this sinking town,  
I'm dying to live,  
Something's gotta give," I strummed the last chord, and looked in the mirror. I hadn't turned into a zombie like Alex did in the video, so kudos to me.

"Isn't that the song with the weirdo Walking Dead video?" Angel asked. Of course she was here. She was always at my house.

"Yep. Daddy issues?" She pulled a face and nodded, coming to sit on the bench beside me.

"When is he gonna learn that he can't just come home drunk every day?"

"When I learn to give a crap," Angel replied bluntly. "At least Gazzy's with mom. That means it's only me to deal with it. But that's not why I came here."

"You don't need a reason to come here, Ange."

"I know. But I found this, and I thought you might wanna see it." She held out her phone, and I took it, giving her a questioning glance. "Play it." She kept her eyes on the ground. I pressed play, and a girl with an electric guitar filled the screen.

"Uh, hey. I'm just gonna get into this before I make it awkward. I'm Max, and I play guitar (duh), and I'm gonna sing Have a Nice Day by Bon Jovi," a younger version of Max began. She plucked a string, then started strumming.

"Why, you want to tell me how to live my life?  
Who, are you to tell me if it's black or white?  
Mama, can you hear me? Try to understand  
Is innocence the difference between a boy and a man  
My daddy lived the lie, it's just the price that he paid  
Sacrificed his life, just slavin' away." I listened as she began the chorus. She was really good. I didn't know how Angel found this video, but her intentions were clear. I locked eyes with her.

"You want her to join the band," I stated. "You don't think you and Nudge are good with the vocals?"

"We only do backup. But Max, she's really good. And a female vocalist would be good for some of the other songs," she added.

"I dunno, Ange. I mean, it's a risky move-"

"Nick," she said sharply. I looked up at her. "You need to start thinking big picture. You want a record deal?" I nodded. "Then we need Max. Simple as that. She nailed those riffs, and even you can't hit those high notes."

"But-"

"No, Nick. No buts. The reason we haven't been signed yet is because we need an edge. Max could be that edge," she said. I mulled this over for a few minutes.

"What if...if she doesn't want to join?" I asked finally.

"I have a feeling she will." So that's why, at seven thirty in the morning, we got to school early to wait for Max.

"How do you even know she'll be here early? Actually, she seems like the type of girl to show up late-"

"Stop trying to get out of this. I asked her to meet me here yesterday." I gaped at her.

"You...what?" I asked dumbly. Angel rolled her eyes.

"She asked me to meet her. It's not that hard, Fang," Max taunted. I spun, and there she was, leaning against a wall.

"So, what's this about?"

"Nick wants to ask you something," Angel said. I stared at her.

"Why am I the one asking? It was _your_ idea-"

"Exactly. I do half the work, you finish it off. Fair's fair," she argued.

"'Fair's fair'," I muttered. I rubbed my eyes, then looked at Max through my fingers. "Okay. So, Angel found a video of you singing-" I heard Max hiss slightly. "-and was wondering if you wanted to... _joinourband_ ," I said quickly. Max raised her eyebrows.

"Speak up, Walker. I can't hear anything you're saying."

"Do. You. Want. To. Join. Our. Band," I enunciated slowly. Max's arms folded.

"What would I be doing in this and?" She asked.

"Singing. And guitar," I added. She looked thoughtful.

"You know what, sure. I'll join. When do we practice?"

"Meet us here after school. You can see our studio. It's sick," Angel said.

"It's not that great-" she cut me off.

"You're just saying that cause you own it. Believe me, it's awesome."

"Well, if you say so," I said dryly. Max smirked.

"After school, then. Later." She ducked behind the wall, and I heard a door swishing.

"Mysterious, that one," Angel remarked.

"You can say that again," I replied.

 **So that's it. Fax shippers, don't kill me. It'll get better, trust me. I got a whole load of stuff planned.**

 **Kinda.**

 **Well, my beds calling, so I'm gonna sign off.**

 **HV**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

 **Here we go! A chapter with less Lissa in it! Hooray!**

 **I don't have any life fail stories, so let's get on with the story.**

 **Enjoy! (Still working on a better catch-phrase)**

"Okay. So, like this?" Max played a complicated riff. We all stared at her. "I'm taking that as a yeah." The band was all practicing in my recording room, which Max said was pretty awesome. I mean, it _was_ pretty cool, if I do say so myself, what with all the huge mirrors and masses of instruments piled against the walls.

"How the _hell_ do you do that?" Gazzy asked in awe. She shrugged.

"Just comes naturally, I guess." Her eyes told a different story, but I didn't comment.

"So, for Saturday, what're we gonna sing?" Angel asked, tapping her fingers against her seat. Iggy hit the drums in time with it. Gazzy started beat-boxing. I rolled my eyes. Max saw and grinned, and began plucking at her guitar. Nudge pressed a key on her keyboard every few seconds. It slowly turned into a beat I recognized.

"Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days  
When our momma sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out  
Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days  
When our momma sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out." I nodded to Iggy, and he started the rap. Max stopped playing after I sang the first line of the next chorus.

"Okay, it's official. I'm joining, cause you guys rock."

"Woop woop!" Iggy cheered.

"Don't make me quit already," she warned. He made a zipping motion over his mouth.

"Alrighty. Can we do Pumped Up Kicks? I just learnt it," Nudge piped up.

"Yeah, alright. Any other suggestions? Last chances, otherwise I'm making the list," I said. Max raised a hand.

"Hey, d'you mind if I choose a few? Y'know, just stuff that I know."

"Yeah, okay. If that's everything, you guys can go do whatever," I waved a hand at the exit. Everyone except Gazzy and Angel headed out the door. I quietly shut it, and took a seat.

"What's happened now?" I asked softly. Gazzy put his head between his knees, and Angel took a deep breath.

"He was drunk driving, and-" her voice choked up. "-and he got into a crash." I closed my eyes. I knew their dad was an asshole, but I didn't think he'd stoop _that_ low. I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Are the people who were in the car okay?" Angel looked down at Gazzy, and put a hand on his shoulder. He spoke without looking up.

"A mother and daughter. Both in comas," he said dully. Then he glanced up. "We found him passed out on the deck. Totally wasted," he added in disgust. Sometimes, I thought my parents were bad. Well, _parent._ I'd never met my dad, and my mom was some hooker. But she truly did love me, I'd thought, because she still put in the effort to spend at least one day a year with me, doing whatever I wanted. I mean, sure, one day in three hundred and sixty five seems pretty bad, but at least it was something, you know? Gazzy and Angel had a drunk dad and a mom who was to anxious to do anything about it. Except divorce him, apparently.

"Crap. That's...that's bad," I murmured. Angel broke in.

"There was a man in the car, too. The father. He-he didn't make it," she said, her lips pressed firmly together so I couldn't see them trembling. I stood up and wrapped my arms around her.

"I don't know what to tell you, but you can both stay here for a while if you need to," I said. They both nodded mutely. Gazzy looked hesitant, then spoke up.

"Can we keep this between us? I don't want anyones sympathy." Angel stared at him, then turned back to me.

"Agreed. We keep this quiet. Please," she added quietly. I nodded.

"You know where the guest rooms are. I'll come up and get you for dinner." Since they stayed with us a lot, they were pretty tight with the rest of my family, and they knew my house like the backs of their hands.

"Thanks, Nick," Angel said, before exiting with Gazzy. I stood by the door, looking at the ground. Life really wasn't fair, sometimes. Good things happened to the worst people, while the good ones got nothing.

I fidgeted at the table. I was wondering how Angel and Gazzy were doing. I felt someone sit beside me, and glanced to my left.

"Hey, you seem...anxious. You okay?" Lissa asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I replied. I totally didn't sound fine.

"You know, normally it's the girl saying she's fine when she's not," Max observed.

"But I am," I argued.

"No, you're not," both girls said (creepily, may I add) in sync.

"Maybe I'm not. But it's personal," I said. Max dropped it, but Lissa kept pressing.

"You can tell me about this stuff, Nick," she said, touching my arm gently.

"It's not my secret to tell," I answered briefly, and spotted Angel from across the cafeteria. I waved, and she did the same back.

"Hey," she greeted, sliding into the seat beside me.

"Where's Gazzy?" I asked her quietly.

"He stayed home." By home, she meant my house of course.

"Right. I'll see him afterschool, then. Where's Ig? I'm outnumbered one to three," I complained. Angel smirked, and pointed to my left. I turned, and saw Nudge walking quickly towards our table. "One to four? Are you serious?"

"Iggy was by his locker. I don't think he'll be joining us any time soon. Unless his food's more important than his relationship goals," she added with a knowing smirk. I processed this, and my palms hit the table.

"No way," I gaped, my jaw hanging open. She nodded, turning on her phone.

"Yeah way. He finally grew a pair and asked her out."

"Is this Tess?" Lissa piped up. I nodded. "Great. She owes me a sundae, then."

"You bet on that? Why is everyone betting nowadays?" I asked to no one in particular.

"Cause they want free money?" Nudge suggested. I scowled at her.

"She said he wouldn't ask her out til the holidays. I said it would take three weeks. I'm closest, so I win," Lissa stated proudly.

"I shoulda made a bet. Everyone's made enough money off of me," I muttered.

"Hey, don't worry. People'll make even more on your wedding dates," Max put in 'helpfully'.

"Oh, shut up."

"Now, now, Fangy, if that's how you talk to girls, you'll be a lonely cat lady in twenty years time," I turned in my seat, and saw Iggy standing behind me.

"Really? I thought it was my best pick up line," I drawled. Iggy tsked.

"No, dude. You want pick up lines?" He slid into the empty seat next to Max. "Do you have a mirror in your pocket? 'Cause I can see myself in your pants." Max rolled her eyes at him, and pushed away his arm that he'd draped over her.

"Maybe you have eye problems," she said cheerfully. He pouted, and grabbed his shirt.

"D'you know what material this is?" He asked. Max shrugged.

"Cotton?"

"Boyfriend material," he answered, winking.

"Yeah, someone else's boyfriend," Max replied.

"Hey, now, we haven't actually made it official-"

"Neither have those two, that I know of, and look at them," she gestured to me and Lissa. Lissa and I. Whatever.

"Me and Tess aren't Lissa and Fang-"

"So you're admitting there is a you and Tess," Max quipped, raising her eyebrows smugly. Iggy looked annoyed.

"No, but-"

"What's this all about?" Tess asked, standing with her arms folded behind Iggy. He frowned.

"Your boyfriend was trying his pick up lines on Max," I replied, peering over my shoulder at her. She raised an eyebrow at the back of Iggy's head.

"Oh, really?"

Iggy turned around, and exclaimed exaggeratedly, "why, Tess! How's life working out for you?" I shook my head at him.

"Dear lord, Iggy." Angel had her hands over her mouth, trying not to laugh. At least she was smiling. Then she leaned forward. "So, we have a problem."

Iggy looked confused. "We do?" Angel nodded seriously.

"We're down a bass player tonight."

"Well, where's Gazzy? Can't he make it for two hours?" He asked exasperatedly.

I raised a hand. "If you don't shut up, I think Angel's gonna kill you."

"Wise words," Max drawled. I turned to her.

"I know. I'm quite the wit."

Max's eyebrows arched. "Oh, quite."

"I could play bass!" Lissa said hurriedly. Then her expression changed. "Well, no, actually, I can't. But if one of the back up singers was gonna move to bass, I could do that." Max subtly watched her with amusement, then shifted her eyes to me and Angel.

"I think you're forgetting that your newest addition actually plays bass," she said. Lissa turned to me.

"You have a new member? Who?" Max's growing smirk widened. Iggy eyed her outfit.

"They might think we're going punk. Or emo. Gothic, even," he noted. While Max's eyes rolled, Nudge's widened.

"Oh my god! I can design an outfit for you and everything!" The look of horror on Max's face was priceless.

Lissa glanced at Max. "You're in the band?"

"That's right," she drawled in response.

"Huh."

"Can you do bass and vocals at the same time? 'Cause we had some songs for you," I asked her. She flapped a lazy hand.

"You've got music next, right? You can decide for yourself."

I threw my hands up. "Well, _that's_ helpful."

"You're welcome," she replied, winking.

I was sitting slouched in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the music room. Max, Nudge and I had left ten minutes early so we could practise without the whole rest of the class there.

"This one goes out to my adoring fans, and fellow band members," Max spoke into the mic, while I rolled my eyes. "This is Break Your Little Heart by All Time Low. Hope you enjoy!" She added, winking. Nudge was grinning beside me, and whispered, "I like this girl."

At the end of Max's performance, we had no doubt that she _could_ sing and play bass at the same time. Then the rest of the class filed in.

"Oh, Max! Would you like to give us a performance, since you're already on stage?" Mr Grenly asked. She looked at him in...fear?

"Uh, no. Thanks. I'm good." She quickly hopped off the stage, and took the seat next to me.

"Close call," I observed. She scowled at the front of the room.

"You don't say."

"I believe I just did." Her eyes snapped to me, then rolled.

"Wow, you're a genius," she deadpanned.

I grinned. "'Course I am. I'm in AP classes."

"AP meaning Annoying Prick?" I shook my head. "Abnormally Pig-headed?"

"You're a terrible guesser."

"Why thank you. I try."

At the gig, I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped in. Why? The following reasons may mean that something odd is happening at _your_ local gig:

1\. Everyone's quiet.  
2\. No one's touching their food (major no-no)  
3\. Two people are yelling at each other

Gazzy and Angel were facing each other on the stage. Everybody's heads were twisted towards them. I had a bad feeling about this.

"You're going _back_ to his house? You'll be killed!" Gazzy was yelling, hands gesturing frantically. Angel stared at him.

"He's _family_ , Gazzy. I have to try."

"I quit _trying_ when he ran that _stupid_ light! He'll hurt you, Ange. You can't."

Angel didn't look at her brother, and kept her voice even. "Gaz...I just, have to go back. I have a feeling."

"You and your freaking feelings," he muttered, then straightened. "Fine. Do what you want. Don't say I didn't warn you." He jumped off the stage, and brushed past me, heading out the door I'd just entered. The crowds eyes turned to me. I looked at Max.

"You still good to play bass?" I asked solemnly. Wordlessly, she nodded. I unzipped my guitar case. "Let's play."

After our gig, I stood alone on the stage, watching the majority of people leave the café. I was worried about Gazzy. Angel, I knew, could handle herself, but Gazzy could be...impulsive.

"It'll be okay." I spun, and found Max a few feet in front of me.

I shrugged. "What'll be okay?" She gestured around her at things that weren't there.

"Gazzy, Angel. All the other crap you have on your plate."

"How-" She cut me off.

"Trust me, dude. I know what inner demons look like, and for whatever reasons, you have them," she replied casually.

"What would you know about inner demons?" I asked, putting my guitar away.

She offered a sarcastic elbow. "Walk with me."

We were sitting in a park a block away from the café. I turned to Max.

"So. Inner demons, huh?" She gave me a dry look.

"Great conversation killer."

"Really. What'd you drag me out here for?"

"I _dragged you out here_ because I feel like I can trust you more than the others. Besides, you were the only one there," she added jokingly. I touched my chest in mock offence.

"Wow. Feeling the connection, really."

"Shut it. Anyway...I don't know why, I just feel like I can confide in you. So, you're gonna hear my freaking lovely back story," she explained briefly.

"Sounds wonderful," I quipped. She hit my arm, and I yelped.

"Anyway. Tragic back story. Long story short, back when I was real small, my mom...disappeared. I don't know what happened to her. Jeb was a great dad, up until he left me and my brother, Ari, and stuck us in a foster care.

"I rebelled, and now I realize what a stupid idea that was, because every time I stepped out of line, they'd beat me. I'd always stand up for the underdog, and that didn't work out. A few years later, they took me away. Said I was too unstable. I thought I was going to a shrink, but no. Instead, I get a science lab where I get injected with tester drugs."

I held up a hand. "Woah. Crap, that's horrible, but...again, why are you telling me all of this? We barely just met," I pointed out. Max shrugged.

"Like I said, I kinda feel like I've known you longer. Which is really weird and stalker-ish, but hear me out, okay? I just...want _someone_ to know. Lift some of the burden, you know?"

"Okay," I chuckled.

"So, to shorten the hell I went through then, basically, I nearly died a bunch of times, got a couple weird mutations, little bitta rain damage, the usual sci-fi movie crap.

"Then Daddy Dearest decided to come pull me out, and he gave me to this other family. I mean, it doesn't sound too dramatic, but believe me...ugh," she shivered. I stared at her incredulously.

"'Not too dramatic?' Holy hell, that's frickin' terrible!" I exclaimed. She shrugged indifferently.

"Maybe it is. That was in the past." I decided I knew enough about her, but she knew nothing about me.

"My mom was a crack addict," I started. Max's eyes flicked in my direction, but she didn't say anything, so I continued. "I met her a couple times. She always visits me at least once a year. Dunno who my father is. Apparently they never identified him, and there were _several_ candidates. So I moved in with my aunt. That...didn't work out too well. I got sent to live with my uncle and cousin, aka Nudge. Been there ever since."

"Why-" I interrupted her.

"I'm saying that everyone has some kind of tragedy in their lives, even if it's not as bad as yours. And nearly everyone has lost loved ones. So they can empathize. Just...know you're not alone, yeah?"

She gave me a level look. "That was...deep."

I shrugged one shoulder. "Hey, that's what I'm all about. Deepness."

"Hallmark moment lost," Max snorted. "But thanks, Fang."

"No problem," I replied. We sat there, staring at the sunset, for at least an hour. Not talking, just thinking.

And it wasn't all that bad.

 **Sorry about most of it being based around Gazzy and Angel, but it's what I felt like writing, soo...yeah. But I do have a plot around it! Kinda.**

 **Also, do you guys want me to just work on maybe two of my fanfics and update them faster, or just stick to random sporadical updates on all of them?**

 **See you next time,**

 **HV**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

 **Okay. I apologize in advance for a lot of things. Let's make a list:**

 **1\. My dislike for Trump will show pretty strongly in this. Just a warning.**

 **2\. Something in the plot is about to drastically change (I know, I actually have a proper idea planned out for once), so I may lose some readers, but...I dunno. Try stick with me, okay? It won't be that obvious in this chapter, so you're still safe for now.**

 **3\. That's pretty much it. I don't even live in America, but my country's economy heavily relies on Hillary winning. Which doesn't look so hot right now. This is basically a filler, and isn't that great, but hopefully you'll like it.**

 **Enjoy! (Still haven't thought of a witty new phrase...sigh)**

"Fang. You might wanna wake up," Nudge said cautiously. I lifted my head off the pillow. "Why?"

She hesitated. "Um, I'd advise just coming. You'll see." With that, she hopped out of my room like a bunny on steroids. I groaned, and my head dropped.

"Why me?"

Five minutes later, I was dressed and walking down the stairs. For some reason, it felt like I was walking to my imminent doom. But maybe that was just because it was only seven. On a _weekend_. That's how they should torture people, I tell you. A week of having to wake up early, they'll crack. Dang, I could be some kind of good Hitler...

Anyway.

"Yo, what's the big fuss? 'Cause if you don't mind, I'd _really_ like to go back to sleep-" I froze mid-sentence, and stared at the woman in the kitchen, sipping a mug of coffee. Well, I presumed it was coffee, because what else do you drink at early hours of the morning?

"Nick," she said, setting down her mug, seemingly awestruck.

"Katie," I said, equally stunned.

She waved one hand, and scolded, "Oh, don't call me that. It's Mom to you, young man." I had mixed feelings about this, because even though she was now _thirty two_ , and had a proper, good paying job, she still hadn't bothered to try and get me to come live with her. Plus, I was a mistake, messed up her life as a drug-taking hooker and who knows what else. So, not exactly the dream mom.

"You're...here," I noted. Wow, Fang, smart move! But really, she always visited Christmas Eve. It was only early August.

"I am," she replied, smiling.

"So," I began. "What's the big occasion?"

She looked taken aback. "I don't need an excuse to see my son, do I?"

I gave a nonchalant shrug. "Well, if you've only seen said son seventeen times when he's seventeen _years old_ , I figure it must be a pretty special time."

"Well, okay. I won't mess around, so I'll just tell you. Nick...I'd like you to come live with me." I was speechless. This woman barely knew me, and even if she was nice enough, she was practically a stranger. And I'd got plenty of 'stranger danger' warnings when I was little.

"I'm not meaning to be rude here, but...I barely know you," I told her. Okay, maybe not the best way to talk to your mom, but, hey, as far as I could see, she was just an egg donar. She didn't raise me, that was all Uncle Steven. Well, for the most part.

She didn't look too offended, which I took as a good sign. "I know, Nick, and I'm sorry. But I'd like to change that." Decent excuse. But I didn't _really_ want to be uprooted from all I knew. I sighed, and looked her in the eyes.

"I can't just...move," I said smartly. Note the sarcasm.

"I know I can't make you, well, technically I can with custody laws or crap. But...I'd really like to give it a shot." Okay, so that sounded pretty promising. So why was I hesitating?

"I mean, you could only stay maybe half a week," she hurried on. "Or just the weekend. Whatever you want."

I considered this, and thought to hell with it. "I can choose how often I stay with you?" I saw the relief flash in her eyes.

"Of course you can! I'm buying a house soon only a few blocks away from your school, and I've looked at bus routes and there's one that comes by, or you could borrow my car, or-" She seemed to realize she was rambling, and coughed quietly. "Um, yes, I mean." I grinned. Maybe my mom wasn't the smoothest person in the world. Maybe she'd made mistakes. But mistakes could be fixed, right?

"Alright," I said. I don't think she registered my words.

"What?" I tried to hide my smirk.

"Three days a week," I elaborated. I watched her eyes go wide and her hands flew up to her mouth.

"I swear I won't let you down, Nick! I promise," she told me enthusiastically.

"Yeah." I still wasn't one hundred percent sure, but why not try it? Yes, most people would be pissed for being abandoned, but at least she was making an effort _now_ , right?

I hoped I was.

"So...you're moving in with your mom?" Iggy asked. I nodded.

"Yep. Apparently she wants to repent; she's staying with us for now, then buying a house near school," I replied. He made a hissing noise.

" _Near_ school? You unlucky child."

"Whatever. You guys hungry?" I asked everyone. The band was all there for another practice. We had a big gig coming up later on in the month we had to practice for. I was meeting up with Lissa after. Said she wanted to talk. I could guess what about.

"I could use something," Gazzy piped up. Angel hadn't come.

"Of course you could," Nudge muttered. Gazzy's head whipped to her.

"What are you trying to imply there, Nudge?"

She grinned. "Oh, nothing." I decided to get snacks before anything broke out. But just as I was about to stand up, Katie-no, _Mom_ , stuck her head in the door. "You guys want snacks?"

Maybe I didn't trust her.

But I had to hand it to her; she had good timing.

"Well, since you're offering..." Gazzy trailed off. Nudge's eyes rolled. Max stood up suddenly. "I'll help."

"I can-" She cut me off.

"Chill. You entertain your guests like a good host." With that she walked out with my mom.

I looked at Iggy. "Why can't you ever offer to get food?"

"Hey, it was your choice to be my friend. If you don't like my ways-"

"I remember you coming up to me in fourth grade and asking if I could share my lunch with you because the 'old mean kids' stole yours," I pondered.

"How do you even remember that?" He asked in awe. I shrugged in response. Max came back in a minute later, holding a tray filled with chips and cookies. Well, that wasn't really accurate. Let me try that again.

Max came back in a minute later, holding a tray filled with chips and a couple of cookies, with the other ones jammed into her mouth and other hand.

"So, you like cookies?" I asked mockingly. She stuck her tongue out at me, forgetting it still had the crumbs on it. I made an 'ew' face.

"Um, sorry. Enjoy!" She put the plate on the table, and we all swarmed it.

"I should come to your house more often," Iggy commented through a mouthful of cookie. "These cookies are the _best_." Max looked like she wanted to argue, but decided against it.

"If your mom made these, she's amazing," Gazzy agreed.

"Yeah," I said uncertainly. "She's not all that bad."

I'd brought a bag full of the cookies to my date with Lissa, so she could try the amazingness. They were seriously good cookies, okay?

A bell above the door rang overhead as I walked in, and Lissa's head spun to me straight away.

"Hey, Nick," she waved, motioning me over to her table. I headed over, and placed the cookies in front of her. "Cookies...?" She asked, peering inside the bag.

"Yep," I replied.

"The main reason we came to a café was so we could get food. Not just pig out on cookies."

I raised a single eyebrow (it took me heaps of practice, believe me). "What, are you complaining about _cookies_? You've finally lost your mind."

"I'm still getting my chive scone. Those things are good." And we spent the next ten minutes chatting, and Lissa ate her scone. Me being the gentleman that I am waited for her to finish before starting on the cookies. Hey, who said I wasn't a nice guy? Suddenly, though, she put down her fork and looked me in the eyes.

"Nick, do you know what you're going to do in life?" The question took me by surprise.

"Well, I dunno. I'd like to keep going with the music thing, maybe major in it at college-"

She interrupted me before I could finish. "Not what you want to do, but...what you think you'll _probably_ end up doing. I mean, how many musicians really end up making it big time?" I processed her words.

"I'll be a doctor. Get a good degree, good job. I guess. I mean, that's assuming Trump doesn't win and I don't move to Russia," I joked. Her eyebrows arched.

"I forgot they were announcing that tonight. Do you think he might win?"

"Shit, Lissa. Polls have been wrong before. I really hope he doesn't. I really hope."

She was quiet for a minute, before speaking up again. "It's okay for you, you're good at heaps of stuff. Me, I've got the third lowest grades in our class."

"I'm sure that's not true-"

She cut me off. "It is. I heard Mr Cornet talking the other day. I'm just...scared." I didn't know what to tell her. I'm not a person who's very...in touch with their emotions.

"Hey, you'll be fine. If someone like Trump managed to get nominated for president, you can do anything you wanna do," I said encouragingly, then realized how stupid that sounded.

"Wow, Nick," she said dryly. "Comparing me to Trump. That's just the reassurance I was after."

"Um, sorry," I said. "My point was, if he can become president, you can...I dunno, rule the entire world."

"Uh huh," she replied sceptically.

"Really, you'll be fine. Besides, you have me," I grinned cheesily and reached across the table to take her hand. She kept her blank expression for a few seconds before it crumbled and a slow smile spread across her face.

"Well, there goes my future," she drawled.

"Hey!" I protested, trying to scowl.

"Well, it's true," she shrugged nonchalantly. Then, "hey, we still going to Iggy's to watch the election results tonight?"

"Oh, yeah," I said, rubbing my hands together. "Everything's gonna finally hit the fan. Big time. I just hope I have enough in my bank account to get that one way ticket outta here."

There were about ten of us at Iggy's place that evening. When Lissa and I showed up, American Idiot was blaring through the speakers, except someone was yelling a slightly different version.

"Don't wanna be an American idiot,  
Don't wanna nation under Donald's mania,  
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?  
The psychotic mind votes pro Republican."

As you can tell, we're all very anti-Trump.

It hadn't really sunk in before now, and all the hate was just coming out. Nudge was the most terrified out of all of us, because of all his racist comments. She was scared she'd be kicked out of the country. Plus, she was a girl, and we'd all heard his opinion on women. Suddenly, though, the singing eased.

"What the hell? No!" Gazzy cried, and ran up to the TV, pressing his face against it.

"What?" I asked, waving to everyone else as I walked in.

"Trump's just won Florida!"

"What?" I repeated dumbly.

"You can't be serious!" Angel exclaimed from her corner.

"No way," Max breathed.

"You sure you haven't gone momentarily blind? Deaf? Had a rain paralysis?" Iggy checked. Gazzy rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Yes way. It's...crap. Two fifteen to two forty four."

And you can imagine how well that went over with everyone. Nudge had actually started to hyperventilate, and I rushed over to try calm her down. Which may have failed with Lissa earlier, but you learn from your mistakes, right? Max had suddenly gone quiet, and she casually glanced at her watch. I watched as she mouthed something, but didn't catch it. Shrugging it off as nothing, I returned to rubbing Nudge's back comfortingly. But then she started coughing. And I'm not talking the occasional one into your elbow. I'm talking full-out hacking-into-your-fist, wanting-to-cough-your-lungs-out style.

"Woah, Nudge, you okay?" I asked frantically. She gestured helplessly with her other hand. "What's that?"

Then she bent over and puked all over me. Trying not to recoil, I motioned for someone to get a bowl.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Let it all out," I said quietly, silently praying she'd wait til the reinforcements got here before releasing her next volley of vomit. My throat was starting to feel a bit scratchy, too. I heard the news reporter speaking in monotone in the background.

"Trump has just won Pennsylvania, and has gained twenty electoral votes. Now on two sixty-four, he only needs six more votes to win."

Well, _crap._

 **Lastly, how mad would everyone be if this didn't turn out to be a purely high school fic?**

 **HV**


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